2026 NFL Draft: These speedy WRs receivers are rising to the top of the board
USA TODAY Sports’ Ayrton Ostly takes a closer look at the fastest wideouts in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The New England Patriots may have made it to Super Bowl 60, but they still have significant areas for improvement ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Patriots have already gotten a jump on some of those areas. On offense, they added Romeo Doubs and Alijah Vera-Tucker to help shore up weaknesses at receiver and along the offensive line respectively. New England also added Dre’Mont Jones to its pass rush and inked safety Kevin Byard and linebacker K.J. Britt to replace the departed Jaylinn Hawkins and Jack Gibbens.
Even so, the Patriots still need to add depth and talent across the board, particularly to their pass rush, receiver room and along the offensive line. They should have a great chance to do that during the 2026 NFL Draft, as they are armed with 11 total picks.
How could the Patriots use those 11 selections? Here’s a seven-round mock draft for the team ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
New England Patriots mock draft
Round 1, Pick 31: Edge Zion Young, Missouri
The Patriots added Dre’Mont Jones to their edge rush rotation in free agency but lost one of their top sack men, K’Lavon Chassion, to the Washington Commanders. Young’s motor and tenacity on the edge will appeal to Vrabel. So too will his career-best production during his final college season, where he posted 6.5 sacks and 16.5 TFL.
Round 2, Pick 63: WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame
The Patriots may trade for A.J. Brown, but any deal for him would be unlikely to happen until after June 1, when the Philadelphia Eagles could split his dead-cap hit over two seasons. As such, New England could still use an early-round resource on a wide-out to provide insurance in case they can’t land Brown and a young target who can grow alongside Drake Maye and Romeo Doubs.
Fields is a big, strong receiver with a 6-4, 218-pound frame and excellent body control. His physicality and contested-catch prowess should quickly make him a red-zone weapon for the Patriots, and his 17.5 yards per reception average in his lone season with the Fighting Irish showed he can be a vertical playmaker even despite his average speed.
Round 3, Pick 95: OT Jude Bowry, Boston College
The Patriots need to draft a long-term successor for Morgan Moses at right tackle. Bowry is a high-ceiling athlete with two years of starting experience on the left side. He will need to iron out his inconsistencies at the NFL level, but he showed his upside by not allowing a single sack in his final season at Boston College.
New England would be an ideal spot for Bowry to learn as a swing tackle before eventually taking over for Moses once the 35-year-old decides to call it quits.
Round 4, Pick 125: TE Sam Roush, Stanford
The Patriots replaced the outgoing Austin Hooper with Julian Hill in free agency. Still, New England could stand to upgrade its depth at the position, especially since Josh McDaniels has an affinity for playing multiple tight ends.
Roush is a ready-made blocker with a 6-6, 267-pound frame and good power and burst off the line. He also logged a respectable 49 catches for 545 yards and two touchdowns during his senior year at Stanford, so he could emerge as a solid complement – and a potential long-term replacement – for the 31-year-old Hunter Henry.
Round 4, Pick 131: DT Tim Keenan III, Alabama
Khyiris Tonga was an unsung hero for the Patriots during their Super Bowl 60 run. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason, leaving New England needing to replenish its defensive line depth. Keenan – a massive 6-2, 320-pound nose tackle with a stocky frame and consistent production at Alabama – would be an ideal replacement for the veteran.
Round 5, Pick 171: CB Hezekiah Masses, California
NFL teams are always looking for cornerback talent. The Patriots don’t currently need a starter but could stand to add another high-upside player to develop as an eventual successor for Carlton Davis.
Masses was a big-time ballhawk during his lone season at Cal. He generated five interceptions and 13 pass defenses for the Golden Bears and sports a 6-1 frame to which he can add more than his current 179 pounds.
Round 6, Pick 191: QB Taylen Green, Arkansas
The Patriots released backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs after re-signing third-stringer Tommy DeVito to a two-year deal. DeVito will now be the team’s backup, which will open the door for the team to add another high-upside passer to their quarterback room.
Green may be the draft’s most athletic quarterback, as he has a cannon arm and elite speed that he showed off at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. His accuracy is fleeting, but McDaniels would certainly relish a chance to tap into the Arkansas product’s raw skill set. This would be a similar investment to the one the Patriots made with Joe Milton during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Round 6, Pick 198: RB Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M
The Patriots have a nice one-two punch at running back with TreVeyon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson, but they could stand to add better depth behind them.
Moss averaged 5.5 yards per carry across his career at Texas A&M and ran with good power and contact balance. He profiles as a nice future partner for Henderson and could replace Stevenson in the rotation in 2027, when his contract becomes easy to remove from New England’s books.
Round 6, Pick 202: S VJ Payne, Kansas State
The Patriots signed veteran Kevin Byard to a one-year deal during the offseason to help replace Jaylinn Hawkins but could still use more depth at the position. Payne is a versatile, do-it-all safety who has a nice combination of size (6-3, 209 pounds) and speed.
Round 6, Pick 212: LB Eric Gentry, USC
Gentry is a unicorn at linebacker, with a ridiculously long 6-7 frame that could make him a unique weapon in coverage. He is only 221 pounds and will need to bulk up at the next level, but Mike Vrabel can take a shot on the productive fifth-year senior as a developmental project and potential practice squad stash.
Round 7, Pick 247: Edge Vincent Anthony Jr., Duke
Double-dipping on the edge could be in the cards for the Patriots, who only saw two players post more than 7.5 sacks last season. Vincent had exactly 7.5 sacks during his final season at Duke and has the pass-rushing skills needed to be a situational player at the NFL level. He’s worth a flier near the end of the draft.
